The present invention relates to a connector, and particularly to a connector having a retention device mounted to a circuit board by surface mounting technology (SMT).
Connector assemblies are often mounted to a circuit board by through hole technology or SMT. Regardless of the method used, terminals of each connector are mounted to the circuit board by solder balls. Due to the high density of the terminals, the solder balls are very small which results in a fragile connection between the terminals and holes/circuit pads of the circuit board whereby an external force exerted on the connector can not be resisted. Thus, connectors often have a retention device to sustain an external force exerted thereon and retain the connector on the circuit board. Such connectors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,145,405; 5,133,679; and 5,259,789.
However, an engaging portion of the conventional retention device is short whereby the retention force between the engaging portion and a housing is too low to provide a secure connection. In addition, the retention device does not provide an effective guiding means for accurately fixing the retention device to the housing. Thus, coplanarity between mounting portions of the retention device and mounting portions of terminals is difficult to attain. Furthermore, the retention device is not suitable for mass production. Hence, an improved electrical connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.